'Train Dreams' Press Conference with Joel Edgerton and More

'Train Dreams' stars Joel Edgerton, Felicity Jones, William H. Macy, and Kerry Condon reveal behind-the-scenes details of bringing this film to life.

(L to R) Bryce Dessner, Clint Bentley, Felicity Jones, Joel Edgerton, Kerry Condon and Adolpho Veloso attend the screening of Netflix's 'Train Dreams' during the 69th BFI London Film Festival at The Royal Festival Hall on October 12th, 2025 in London, England. Photo by StillMoving.Net for Netflix.

Based on the novella by Denis Johnson, Netflix's 'Train Dreams' takes place in the early 20th century and tells the story of Robert Grainier. Moviefone was in attendance at a press conference in celebration of the film, featuring Joel Edgerton (Robert Grainier), Felicity Jones (Gladys Grainier), William H. Macy (Arn Peeples), and Kerry Condon (Claire Thompson).

Train Dreams

PG-13Drama

Audience
Score

Release Date: Nov 7, 2025

Run Time: 1 hr 42 min

Budget: $10,000,000

Starring: Joel Edgerton, Felicity Jones, Kerry Condon

1) Joel Edgerton Says It Was Important For Robert & Gladys' Relationship To Feel Real

(L to R) Felicity Jones as Gladys and Joel Edgerton as Robert Grainier in 'Train Dreams'. Cr: Netflix © 2025

Robert and Gladys' relationship is at the center of 'Train Dreams'. Star Joel Edgerton reveals that it was very important to him to make that relationship feel real and vulnerable.

Joel Edgerton: I'm glad that we had this experience together in this film and had the chance to create a relationship. Clint's script was beautiful. I think we all were so drawn to what was on the page. Clint is so collaborative too and very intentional and deliberate but also very open to discussing how are we able to build this relationship that was the heart of the film but wasn't just a dimension that was purely romance. This is frontier life, a homestead. A life that wasn't just about love. It had to have a tapestry of many things: domestic life, tension, confusion about the future, complicity, and the beauty and the fumbling about being new parents, all woven into a handful of certain moments that created this perception and investment for an audience.

2) Felicity Jones Says 'Train Dreams' Is About The Struggle Of A Small Family

Felicity Jones attends the screening of Netflix's 'Train Dreams' during the 69th BFI London Film Festival at The Royal Festival Hall on October 12th, 2025 in London, England. Photo by StillMoving.Net for Netflix.

When asked to explain what drew her to the film, Felicity Jones reveals that it really is about the struggle of a family.

Felicity Jones: At the heart of it, so much of the film is about this struggle of this little family. They're in difficult circumstances. They're struggling to make ends meet. As Joel said, they're in Frontierland. They're in this extreme environment and they're having to make it work as as best they can and part of the reason that they can make it work is obviously the love that they have for each other, but alongside that they have to have an incredible fortitude, and they have to hunt and shoot and fish and and make it work as best they can. What so much of the film about is in life, when you go through it or look back on it, what you get is not one continuous period of happiness, it's fleeting.

3) William H. Macy Loves A Lot About His 'Train Dreams' Character, Arn

(L to R) William H. Macy as Arn Peeples and Joel Edgerton as Robert Grainier in 'Train Dreams'. Cr. BBP Train Dreams. LLC. © 2025.

William H. Macy says that he was immediately drawn to his character, Arn, after asked if he relates to him at all.

William H. Macy: We're the same age. People have regrets, as do I. Arn, he has regrets, but he's got his eye on the future. I just love the guy. I just love his character. He's a loner and yet he's so gregarious. I love his philosophizing. I love how clever he is at getting out of work. I saw that character and immediately I wanted to play him. I had a really clear picture of how to play. It was a marriage made in heaven, it really was.

4) Kerry Condon Says Her Character Was Extremely Well Written For Such A Small Character

(L to R) Joel Edgerton as Robert Grainier and Kerry Condon as Claire Thompson in 'Train Dreams'. Cr. BBP Train Dreams. LLC. © 2025.

Kerry Condon's character, Claire Thompson, might only be in 'Train Dreams' a short while, but she is extremely memorable and plays an important role. Kerry Condon believes this is because she is so well-written.

Kerry Condon: A lot of it was on the page. It was such a well-written character for such a small character which really makes me think that it's a good script when the little parts are really well drawn out. In it, she says, or it says in the voice of her, she was a nurse in the war. That influenced me so much because then she would have seen so much trauma and there would have been a nurturing aspect to her. So he would feel relaxed around her if she was a nurse. That energy, those people who have those jobs, you feel at ease with them, so that informed a lot of Claire for me.

5) Joel Edgerton Was Concerned About Being Able To Keep A Lid On His Emotions When Filming 'Train Dreams'

Joel Edgerton as Robert Grainier in 'Train Dreams'. Cr. BBP Train Dreams. LLC. © 2025.

Robert Grainer experiences great loss in 'Train Dreams'. When talking about channeling that from his own experiences and fears, Joel Edgerton admits his biggest concern was being able to keep a lid on his emotions in a way that felt true to the character.

Joel Edgerton: My ability to offer myself up to [director Clint Bentley] as a as a father and as a husband and as somebody who is terrified of such a thing, if anything, made me suitable to give myself over. The only fear, on an actorly level, was trying to make sure to keep a lid on those kind of feelings knowing that Robert is somebody who wouldn't allow himself to show too much until somebody's able to pull a feeling of his own complicity in the situation out. I can only hope that anyone who does experience loss is able to detach their own, in the good sense of the word, ego from any kind of responsibility. As irrational as that can be sometimes, we do feel those things.

(L to R) Adolpho Veloso, Bryce Dessner, Ashley Schlaifer, Clint Bentley, Felicity Jones, Joel Edgerton, Kerry Condon, Marissa McMahon, Will Janowitz and Michael Heimler attend the screening of Netflix's 'Train Dreams' during the 69th BFI London Film Festival at The Royal Festival Hall on October 12th, 2025 in London, England. Photo by StillMoving.Net for Netflix.

What is the plot of 'Train Dreams'?

Based on the beloved novella by Denis Johnson, Train Dreams is the moving portrait of Robert Grainier, whose life unfolds during an era of unprecedented change in early 20th century America. Orphaned at a young age, Robert grows into adulthood among the towering forests of the Pacific Northwest, where he helps expand the nation's railroad empire alongside men as unforgettable as the landscapes they inhabit. After a tender courtship, he marries Gladys and they build a home together, though his work often takes him far from her and their young daughter. When his life takes an unexpected turn, Robert finds beauty, brutality and newfound meaning for the forests and trees he has felled.